1 Penny - Elizabeth I

Elizabeth I authorized Ireland's first copper coinage in 1601 — a politically loaded decision, since earlier Tudor administrations had debased Irish silver so aggressively that copper small change carried its own credibility problem from the start. The issue coincided almost exactly with the Nine Years' War and the Kinsale campaign, meaning much of this coin's early circulation happened against a backdrop of military occupation and monetary desperation in the Dublin Pale.

Three die varieties account for the KM 6.1 through 6.3 distinctions, differing primarily in stop placement and harp string count.